What is shoyu ramen?
Shoyu (醤油) means soy sauce. In Japan, ramen cooks sort their soups by seasoning: shoyu, shio (salt) and miso. Tonkotsu joins them as a fourth type and refers to the cloudy broth made from pork bones. Shoyu ramen counts as the oldest type, and the first ramen shops in Tokyo served it in the early 20th century. Typical features are a clear chicken broth, often with dashi, and wavy, medium-thick noodles.
Shoyu ramen or miso ramen?
You can tell the two types apart by the broth. Shoyu ramen stays clear and dark brown, and the soy sauce brings salt and roasted notes. Miso ramen is cloudy, because the fermented bean paste makes the broth thicker and nuttier. In Sapporo, butter and corn go on top. For a comparison, cook the miso ramen with chashu and pickled daikon.
Broth and tare
The recipe card seasons the broth right in the pot with soy sauce and mirin. That is quick and enough for one evening. Ramen cooks mix a tare for this, a concentrated seasoning sauce, and put 30 to 40 ml of it into each empty bowl before the broth goes in. That way every bowl gets the same amount of salt, and leftover broth stays unseasoned for other dishes. You will find a recipe under shoyu tare, and the differences between the types in the article ramen tare. For the broth, use store-bought chicken broth without yeast extract, or cook your own tori chintan.
Chicken chashu instead of pork belly
Classic chashu is rolled pork belly that braises for 2 to 3 hours. Chicken cooks in 20 to 30 minutes. Use boneless thighs, which stay juicy. Breast dries out faster. Check it with a thermometer after 15 minutes: at 72 °C (162 °F) in the center it is done. Slice the meat thinly only once it is cold. Use the leftover braising liquid as a marinade for eggs: put peeled, soft-boiled eggs in it overnight to make ajitsuke tamago.
Noodles, toppings and common mistakes
Medium-thick, wavy noodles from the refrigerated section of an Asian grocery store suit shoyu ramen. Cook them in their own pot with plenty of water. In the broth they release starch and cloud it. Warm the bowls with hot water so the soup stays hot to the last spoonful. Besides bok choy, menma (marinated bamboo shoots), a sheet of nori and scallions work well. For heat, add chili oil at the edge of the bowl.
Common mistakes
- Broth boiled hard: If the broth boils vigorously, it turns cloudy and greasy. Keep it just below a simmer.
- Too much soy sauce: Season in small steps and taste after every spoonful. Dark Chinese soy sauce turns the soup black, so use Japanese shoyu.
- Noodles overcooked: Pull them out 30 seconds before the end of the package time, because they keep cooking in the hot broth.
With beef instead of chicken
A version with beef broth and beef is in the recipe for shoyu-style beef ramen. Beef broth tastes stronger and darker than chicken broth and takes more time. The chicken version here suits beginners and days when you have about 2 hours, marinating time included.
